Autumn Twilight
by Micah Rodney
Summary: The final part of the Year of Eos saga. This last chapter focuses on Ignis and his personal journey between Chapters 13 and 14. As humanity faces its greatest threat yet and Ignis is suffering from his own problems, one last chance to unify humanity presents itself and without their hero, the world must survive. *Major Plot Spoilers: Do Not Read unless you have finished FFXV.*
1. Chapter 1

**Autumn Twilight – Part 01**

 _* Spoiler Warning *_

 _The first three episodes of my "Year of Eos" have been side adventures not related to the main story and have been almost entirely spoiler-free up until now. However this final part focuses on Ignis and his time between Chapters 13 and 14 of the game. Ergo I must warn you that there are massive spoilers incoming during this story. I apologize to fans of my series who have not yet completed the game but in order to tell the best story possible involving Ignis, this was the only setting I could think up._

 _ **Please do not read further unless you have completed Final Fantasy XV's Main Story.**_

* * *

Darkness. Same as the day before.

For Ignis the unending night had begun a few days earlier than the rest of the world. He rolled out of bed and reached for his cane. A few moments later and the alarm that was meant to stir him sounded. He reached instinctively for the device whose position he knew by heart and stopped it. His body had acclimated to the strict routine his day had become and he'd beaten the clock almost every day for a year.

Though his condition caused him to be for all intents and purposes blind there was some sight to him. He could make out the general level of light in a given area and could occasionally see fuzzy shapes. This didn't help him much. By this time he'd simply learned to use his other senses to get around. However knowing where the light was served as a crucial survival tool in this new world where the sun never rose and the night was full of monsters.

He'd memorized his small caravan which served as his house in this new world. It wasn't very big but that was actually a plus as far as he was concerned. He had his bed, the small fold out desk, the kitchenette area and the doorway leading out into the Hammerhead garage. The former popular service station had been fenced in and lit up using every generator Cindy could crank out. Fuel was too precious these days to use for much else than these generators but a few vehicles still ran to trade supplies between the few scarce human outposts.

Lestallum was the new capitol of human civilization, the nearly limitless energy from the meteor, coupled with the surrounding farms and strategically viable positioning made it a natural choice. Hammerhead was a smaller outpost that now served as the headquarters for the hunters, Meldacio had long since been abandoned.

It was here that Ignis had been living ever since their fateful journey to Gralea, the Imperial capitol city. The seven years that had passed since had been an endless stream of nearly identical days doing the essential tasks for survival. And these tasks were made the more monotonous by the absence of his friends.

Noctis disappeared within Gralea and had not been seen since. Most assumed he was dead, but Ignis, Gladiolus and Prompto still help out some hope – though each passing month chipped away at it little by little. As for those two, Ignis saw them on occasion – in the loosest sense of the word, of course. However their duties often kept the three far apart. Ignis felt as thought the loss of Noctis had unhinged their brotherhood; perhaps they stayed apart intentionally to avoid confronting their loss. Gladiolus was always out on the hunt with Cor, the two serving as defenders of Lestallum. Prompto had been doing technical work and running supplies between outposts. As for Ignis, he'd elected to remain at Hammerhead and do what he did best – cook. It was a boring life, but it was his role to fill.

Today began no different than any other. He exited to the caravan and sensed the ever-present bloom of lights in the outpost. Whenever he set foot outside the soundproofed caravan he could always hear the not-so distant rancor of the prowling daemon hordes, now given dominion over this "world of ruin". It used to unnerve him, but now it had become just part of the norm. The hand of death had been upon his shoulder for so long he almost welcomed it. But he would, at least for now, go on for another day.

He started up the grill and began preparing breakfast. Eggs and bacon were in short supply like everything else, and breakfast amounted to a loaf concoction with Anuk meat and mixed (and canned) vegetables. There wasn't even anything to bread it with and the only sauces and spices at his disposal were always saved for dinner. Breakfast was fuel to get you through the day. Lunch was a formality. Dinner was a reward for the day's work and the only meal for which any frivolity was allowed.

"Smells pretty good," came a familiar voice from the opposite side of the grill.

"Talcott, here to service your truck?" Ignis asked, handing him a plate of grub.

"Yeah. Prompto is with me too, but you know him, he's busy chatting up Cindy," Talcott laughed.

Ignis smiled slightly. "It is good to know that some things haven't changed in this new world. How are things at Galdin Quay?"

Talcott moved slightly away from Ignis, there was a noticeable shift in his aura.

"Well... the last of the holdouts there were finally forced out. They took all the fish they could manage and fled to Lestallum," Talcott said. "You shoulda heard Coctura fussing the entire time. I'm pretty sure she would have fought off all the daemons with her frying pan, but it just became too hard to defend, even on the water like it was."

"Another outpost gone. Lestallum must be full to bursting at this point," Ignis said.

Talcott took a bite out of the loaf and made a polite, but clearly exaggerated sound of appreciation. "This is pretty good, Ignis."

"You are kind to lie to me like that," Ignis replied. "Hopefully you will stay for dinner, which is sure to be considerably better."

"Depends on how long Cindy takes," Talcott explained. "We gotta haul the last bit of this food over to Lestallum before it goes south. As you know we really can't afford to waste any food. If you'd like I might have a few Leiden Pepper that I could part with."

Ignis shook his head. He would make do with what he grew himself, little though it was.

A more energetic voice, though significantly older one called out to him from afar. "Hey Specs!"

Prompto had finally noticed him out and about. He approached Ignis at a sort of half-run and came to a stop at the edge of the grill. Somehow in light of everything he had remained just as chipper as ever- or perhaps that was because he'd just spoken with Cindy.

"You're getting in early today, Prompto," Ignis said.

"Yeah well, you heard about the Quay right? We were up most of the night taking care of that. We won't actually go to bed until we reach Lestallum, though I might take a nap here for a bit," Prompto said. "But if you have a moment I'd like to discuss something kind of important with you."

"I have to cook breakfast for around 50 people. Well, _52_ now I suppose," Ignis replied. "But you are free to speak to me here if you like."

True to his word, he set a completed loaf on the heating rack and started cooking a second. His hands were moving with practiced fluidity and natural grace, but the rest of his body was almost comically still.

"It blows my mind that you know when it's done cooking without seeing it," Prompto said.

"There are other clues. Firmness of the meat and so forth. But at this point it's all been memorized," Ignis explained, not wanting to get into a long and at this point very old conversation about his condition. "So you were saying?"

Prompto nodded. "Right, right, sorry. So we lost Cape Caem last year, the Quay just now. We're losing our eyes to the sea and it's making our limited supply line even worse. There are only three outposts left now. Hammerhead, Old Lestallum and Formuth Garrison."

The last one stung a bit as it was the last place that welcomed anybody from the Empire. Considering it was the Empire's madness that had put them all in this situation, the holdouts at Formuth were on their own. Understandably the people were not in a very forgiving mood. Some tried to strip their former identities and merge in with the local populace, but they didn't often go unnoticed for very long. Ignis's mind turned to Aranea, Biggs and Wedge – enemies turned allies toward the end of their journey.

"If we lose Old Lestallum, we lose our foothold to the sea. That river is our lifeline at this point. We won't lose water cause it channels into Lestallum's pipes but transport and seafood would be lost," Prompto said. "Gladiolus, Cor, Talcott and I are going to head there and try to fortify it. We're assembling a team. And there's even been talk of maybe trying to extend the olive branch to the Imperials, but obviously a lot of people are against it."

Ignis nodded. "I understand. But I'm a cook and I'm needed here."

"Specs, these guys can live off the canned rations for a week. If we don't get this fortification up we could lose everything," Prompto said.

"And what exactly is to be my role, Prompto?" Ignis asked. "It's true that I can still fight. I can still use magic. But there are far more capable warriors and hunters out there besides me."

"But nobody else can strategize like you can. Ignis you're not just a great chef, you're also one of the best tacticians in the world right now. We have limited supplies and unlimited problems. We need somebody like you helping us," Prompto said.

Ignis folded his arms. He didn't like to be immodest, but this was certainly true. There were few left who could handle such a mentally taxing puzzle as this. And after all he'd been teaching Cindy a few of his tricks. Maybe they could survive without him for a while.

"If you can convince Cindy to let me go then I'll come with you," Ignis said. "I won't leave the others in a rut."

Prompto patted Ignis's shoulder. "Don't you worry. I'm sure she'll understand."

He turned to head back to Cindy's garage, but stopped and let out a small sigh. He rubbed the back of his head and let out a small strange noise somewhere between a cough and a hiccup.

"It'll be good to have you back, man."


	2. Chapter 2

**Autumn Twilight – Part 02**

While she was sad to see him go, Cindy at least seemed eager to try her hand at serving as the cook while Ignis was away.

"I hope the boys like flank-steak and burgers," Cindy said with a grin. "If I can grill it, I can make it."

There wasn't much else to do in the way of upkeep. Ignis left his cooking satchel behind, wanting to leave any spices or special tools in Cindy's care while he was away. He grabbed a change of clothes and his cane and was ready to leave within mere minutes. Goodbyes were not long affairs anymore. Everytime somebody left, there was a very real chance of it being their last. Perhaps it had become an unspoken rule that humanity could not function if every farewell were treated with the importance it was due. Or perhaps humanity had just accepted that theirs was a dying breed and their lives were forfeit anyways. A society living on borrowed time.

Ignis sat up front in the passenger window seat, Talcott drove and Prompto took the small seat in the back of the cab, though he lay hunched over, attempting to get a small nap in before the work had to continue. The truck was new territory to Ignis – his first in a while. He felt around trying to get the general feel of it, but this did not take long. Most vehicles were functionally the same and there was not much to explore in a three meter wide space.

The aromatic coming from the back of the truck made Ignis ponder the possibilities. The things he could create if his little outpost had half of the supplies that went to Lestallum. For the first time in years he realized how unsatisfying the loaf he prepared was. How boring it was as a meal, how unsatisfying to him as a culinary artist.

"So I take it we are dropping these supplies off at Lestallum first before heading to Old Lestallum?" Ignis asked.

"Most of it. Some crates are going down the line with us. The outpost has to eat too. Cor and Gladiolus are down there already waiting for us, but you'll get to see a few familiar faces I expect, Err, so to speak, " Talcott said.

Ignis simply nodded. He wished people would stop doing this. Yes, he was blind. That did not mean people needed to watch their words with such obsessive care. As if he could no longer enjoy certain colloquial terms because they might somehow remind him of his horrible condition.

"So, uh, are you ready for this?" Talcott asked as the truck slowly pulled out of the main gate.

"It'll be nice to be up close with the daemons once more," Ignis said. "I remember hunting them properly. I imagine I still could handle on or two in a fight."

"Oh yeah?" Talcott asked. "We try to avoid confrontation as much as we can when making these transports but... well you can never be sure."

The cacophony of the surrounding creatures became overpowering. It was as if every damned soul in the entirety of Leide had chosen to stalk their truck. There were the gurgling sounds of slavering jowls, the wailing of spectral entities, and the low hum that emanated from the iron giants. It was an unholy din and it was _all around them._

"You never get used to that sound," Talcott said. "Not like this. Not when there is no buffer and you can hear it everywhere. I swear they can get into your head."

"It could drive a man to deafen himself," Ignis said, barely containing his discomfort. How Prompto could be sleeping at a time like this was a complete mystery to him. He needed to change the subject before he went mad. "So tell me about Old Lestallum. What exactly are we looking at?"

"Well they turned the bridge into town into a choke point. They actually added a few buildings in these dark years to serve as guard towers. Took metal and supplies from the old Imperial Base nearby. They build some impressive fortifications but they're pretty ramshackle. Not as neat as yours," Talcott explained.

"If they require access to the river, I imagine that cannot be well defended," Ignis said.

Talcott nodded. "Right. They fish from the bridge so at least there is a gap, but they can't really dam the river properly without risking interfering with Lestallum's water supply. Every once in a while you have incidents, even with all the lights on the bridge."

"Any severe breaches?" Ignis asked.

"Some. But that's enough to warrant a re-evaluation," Talcott explained. "Imagine being out in the middle of the blackness and having a home which isn't really safe from those things. That's the same thing that happened to the Quay."

Ignis began to wonder exactly what _could_ be done to secure the area. Damming the water would defeat the purpose and raising the water level would only put them at further risk of it being used as an attack point for the daemons. And removing their presence from the riverside wasn't the answer either. He hoped Cor and Gladiolus had better news to give him because, so far, this was looking to be an excursion fated to failure.

"Any thoughts?" Talcott asked.

"Well, it's difficult to say. If daemons are coming from the water and seem unperturbed by the lights of Old Lestallum then the lights aren't satisfactory," Ignis explained. "But beyond that I'm not certain what exactly could be done about that. We have Cindy's generators and the fuel line. Lestallum has the power plant. Old Lestallum only has power lines, I assume?"

"From Lestallum, yeah. And the line is weak," Talcott said.

"Self-sufficiency is essential. If the line goes from weak to dead then the entire outpost would collapse," Ignis said. "And yet I'm not certain what resources they have to correct that. We'd need to import generators."

"There's no fuel line there anymore. Ran dry a couple years back. They were over-using because they assumed they could be resupplied," Talcott said.

"Lestallum is unwilling or unable to spare any, I take it?" Ignis asked.

"Well, yeah. That's the way it's always been with the outposts. Self-sufficiency, just like you said," Talcott replied.

"Perhaps a kinetic generator of some kind. Something to create a charge without relying on gas. And yet such is not my area of expertise. Maybe Prompto can rig up something," Ignis said.

"I hope he can," Talcott said. He hit the steering wheel with his free hand and let out a small gasp of pain before continuing. "God damn, I hate that fucking sound."


	3. Chapter 3

**Autumn Twilight – Part 03**

The rest of the journey to Lestallum was carried out in relative silence, apart from the hideous sounds of the daemons. Around Coernix, they pulled over into the ruins of the gas station in order to stretch their legs (albeit very briefly) and to trade off drivers. It was now Talcott's turn to take a quick nap and Prompto handled the driving.

"For some reason the daemons don't like the gas stations," Prompto said. "Even if the wells are dried up and they're abandoned like this. We're not sure why."

"Perhaps there is not anything to hunt for on the paved roads and empty stores," Ignis suggested.

"That's probably it. At least it's the best suggestion I've heard so far. Either way, if somebody stops in the dark for too long, they'll find you no matter where you are so we gotta get going."

And go they did, Prompto moving the truck at a decidedly speedier clip than his young cohort. Of course given his age when Ignis had last seen him, Talcott couldn't be a very experienced driver yet, so that was likely the reason.

Prompto and Ignis spent the last stretch talking about unimportant matters. Fond reminiscences of their time together with Noctis, shared stories of what they'd been doing the past seven years, and during a lull in the conversation, Prompto had favored Ignis with a twenty minute diatribe lamenting to loss of King's Knight.

A dim white glow let Ignis know they were approaching the gates of Lestallum. In the fog before his eyes he could barely make out inky black shapes that might resemble buildings, but he could discern no more detail than that. He was grateful for even this much clarity, bolstered by the immense light of the power plant.

"Here we are," Prompto sighed. "The last bastion of human civilization."

He rolled down the driver's side window and let out a whistle. A guard approached the vehicle – obviously a security checkpoint of some kind. The guard was a gruff man, formerly a Hunter, who clearly had muscle to spare. However he spoke with a kind voice and had all the mannerisms of a humble doorman.

"Hey Prompto, welcome back. What you got this time?" He asked.

"Last of the food and supplies from Galdin Quay. Seafood, first aid supplies, pearls, blackstone, spices. Here's the full manifest," Prompto reached into the glovebox and pulled out several sheets of paper and handed them to the guard. "Though we are up one passenger. After drop-off we'll be escorting him to Old Lestallum."

"You and Cor are trying to make that place work huh?" The guard asked.

"Fingers crossed. It's the best we can hope for at this point," Prompto explained.

The guard nodded and waved Prompto through the gate. It shut behind them with a loud clanking sound that reverberated through the valley. The vehicle was now moving at a snails pace, and Ignis could hear the strangled gasps of civilization as it choked on the hundreds of bodies stuffed overtight within its walls.

"Come on, clear a path you guys!" Prompto called, trying to sound polite, but there was only so much he could do.

The 100 meters they had to drive to the loading dock took them almost 20 minutes. But they did in fact make it there in one piece. Prompto roused Talcott and they exited the truck, breathing in the city air as they stretched their stiff bodies.

"How do they fit them all here?" Ignis asked, stunned by the loud rabble.

"It's actually a pretty elegant system," Prompto explained. "Everybody has a job, young and old alike. Adults all work at the plant, farms, loading dock, hospital or serve as Hunters and Guards. Kids handle picking up the trash around town and taking them to the garbage lift which incinerates the lot in the power plant. Teenagers run most of the shops around here – oh yes there are still shops. The powers that be said we need to create an economy to keep everything functioning. People get tokens for work and they can trade them in for food, clothing and the occasional treat."

"Powers that be? Who is in charge here?" Ignis asked.

"Well, there's a council of 12 people, but about half of them are EXINERIS chief staff. I suppose it makes sense. They control the lights, they should have a say. But the other half of layfolk have kept them in check. You know Sania is actually a member of the council. They wanted a scientist on hand who wasn't in EXINERIS's pocket just to keep things level," Prompto explained.

"Has there been much tension?"

Prompto shrugged. "Well there is an apocalypse going on, but as far as we can tell things have been going relatively smoothly. We need somebody to step up and take executive control to really give the place some true direction. And... well in lieu of a proper king..."

Their minds drifted mournfully to Noctis for a moment. Prompto shook his head as if to clear the dark thoughts and continued.

"I keep suggesting Cor make a bid to serve as a Governor. But he's a stubborn guy. Doesn't think he has the head for politics," Prompto explained. "Which reminds me, Cor and Gladiolus are are going to be at Old Lestallum but there's also another familiar face that might hold some interest to you. You remember Weskham right? That old guy who was in Altissia?"

"Ah yes. I remember his boisterous personality," Ignis replied.

"We tried to talk him into a Governship too but he also declined. Apparently he is of the opinion that he's too old for the job," Talcott explained, finally speaking for the first time since they'd arrived. Prompto noticed him holding a cup of coffee which likely explained both the prior lack of speech and its sudden appearance.

"It's almost as if they are hinting they want somebody in our age group to handle the job," Ignis postulated.

"Ah, yeah, but I don't think we have much in the way of political capitol. People know Cor. They know Weskham. And they knew Noctis, but I don't think 'Noctis's Best Buddies' sound great in a political ad," Prompto said. He let out a slight groan as he made his way up to a food stall. "What do I want to eat?"

Ignis took a sniff of the food. To his surprise it actually smelled rather inviting. "Hmm... interesting choices here. Creamy Fowl Sautee, Battered Barramundi Potstickers, Creamy Milk Risotto and Behemoth Roast Stew."

"How can you tell?" Talcott asked.

"The nose knows," Ignis said, tapping his gently with his index finger. "Get the Potstickers. I'll take the Risotto."

"You're the boss," Prompto said, tossing town three heavy bronze coins for their meals.

For the first truly decent meal he'd had in almost seven years, albeit one not cooked by his own practiced hand, the Risotto was heavenly. It almost brought a tear to his eye. Prompto and Talcott seemed to enjoy their fish as well.

"I had forgotten what good food tastes like," Ignis said when he was finished.

"Yes sir," Prompto said. "Living just isn't enough. If humanity doesn't thrive, we may as well die off. That's what the city represents to people. Not just the hope of survival, but the hope that we can actually reclaim a bit of sanity. The plant has also been acting as a factory to build new parts. At first they started building up to create more rooms for people in the safety of the walls. But now they want to build out – start adding more lights and such. Hell, within a few years we might be able to light up half of the Cleigne region and spread out a bit."

"But first we have to hold Old Lestallum," Ignis said.

Prompto smiled. "Now you're getting it."


	4. Chapter 4

**Autumn Twilight – Part 04**

The brief stop in Lestallum was, alas, exactly that. After their meal and unloading their intended cargo they were back on the road again out into the gloomy blackness. However this was for a significantly shorter time, only about an hour or so. A similar bright bloom lit up behind the void before Ignis's eyes and a few minutes later Prompto announced that they had arrived at Old Lestallum.

The truck was stopped on the bridge, Ignis could tell because of the sound of the rushing water and the slightly hollow sensation below his feet. The ground was flat for the moment, but the slightest structural fault could change that in a moment. Prompto and Talcott moved out in front of the truck, the former escorting Ignis with his voice. Ignis's cane tapped sharply on the bridge. He hated being on this thing.

"Prompto, glad to see you made it back in one piece from the Quay," came the firm but encouraging voice of Cor.

Ignis could remember much of the man who had once served as King's Shield to Noctis's father, the late King Regis. A man with a body like steel and a mind as well tempered. He'd had the pleasure of speaking to Cor on occasion while serving as Noctis's tutor. But he didn't truly get to know the man until they'd set out on their journey all those years ago.

"Hale and whole," Prompto said, putting on his best impression of their welcoming party. "And we've gained a stowaway."

Cor turned his attention to Ignis and his voice seemed all the more elated for it. "Ignis! It's been years. Have you really been rusting away at the Coernix outpost?"

"In a manner of speaking," Ignis said, unsure whether he liked the implication that his talents had been wasted, and yet not so certain that it was altogether wrong either.

"Well I'm glad that you've come to help us. We have a need for a man like you here. Leading men into battle I can do, but urban planning is not one of my strong points," Cor explained.

"I can't say I've much in the way of formal training either, but I will do whatever I can to aid you," Ignis replied. "If nothing else you'll have gained a damned good cook."

"And that would be a blessing in its own right," Talcott affirmed with a slight cough.

"I don't suppose Gladiolus is here now is he?" Ignis asked.

Cor let out a small sigh. "Uh, well about that. He's been busy running some hunts. The daemon activity has been a little too heavy around here. We need to deal with the immediate threat if we're going to try and fortify."

"Understandable," Ignis nodded. "I'm certain I'll have a chance to catch up later. In the meantime, get me up to speed."

It was a long discussion, admittedly one that Ignis might have requested after a night's sleep had he the wherewithal to consider it. At least two hours passed while Cor explained their available supplies, their supply lines (which was extremely limited and could be summed up as "whatever Prompto and Talcott can scrounge up"), their available forces, the local daemon populace, weather conditions, territorial hazards, changes to the landscape and, of course, the condition of the power lines. And then after all that was done, they began to discuss their plans for fortifying the settlement and securing the water line.

"So what are your thoughts so far?" Cor asked. "I know that's a lot to take in, but I don't suppose you have anything off the top of your head do you?"

Ignis rubbed his chin. "I'll need a moment to process this. Let me step outside for some fresh air and I'll come back in with the beginnings of a plan."

"Of course. Take as much time as you need," Cor said.

This was a phrase that was a pet peeve of Ignis's. It was a platitude, especially in these days where time was decidedly short in every sense. If this had been a time before the darkness, it might have carried a bit more weight, and he could have the several weeks needed to properly plan. What Cor meant to say was "take about five or ten minutes" and he wished he would just come out and say it.

The air was always cold these days, even under the thousand watt gloom of industrial floodlights. But it was just as well. He felt that the cold air helped him concentrate. He took a seat on the bench of what used to be a Crow's Nest Diner waiting area and tried to condense the last several hours into realistic goals.

Their problems could be broken down into simple separate but related objectives.

They needed more supplies, specifically timber and steel.

They needed better weaponry, high-caliber turrets being the ideal choice.

They needed to fortify their position.

They needed to fortify the river.

They needed more manpower.

All of these were monumental hurdles given their current situation, but the issue of manpower was the most troubling. People weren't exactly volunteering to leave the safety of Lestallum. And yet, if nobody did it wouldn't be too long before it wasn't safe anymore.

Ignis re-entered the former garage turned headquarters and prepared to state the obvious to Cor. He wasn't sure how to make what he was about to say sound utterly pointless.

"So do you have a plan?" Cor asked.

Ignis shrugged. "Under our current conditions, it is impossible."

"Oh?" Cor seemed taken aback by this response.

But why should he be surprised? These were the exact problems that resulted in the death of all the other outposts, why should this one be any different?

"I say under our current conditions. We need our circumstances to change, and the only way to do that is to change them ourselves," Ignis explained. "We need more men. We have supply problems, monster problems and we need builders. All of this is brought within the realm of possibility by bolstering out forces. You say we have around 40 men working here?"

"Give or take, yeah," Cor replied. "The numbers fluctuate due to... well obvious reasons."

Ignis nodded grimly. "I don't mean to increase the burden on your shoulders but the reality is for this plan to work we would need at least twice the forces we currently have here."

"So I've got to convince 40 people from Lestallum to give up their comfortable lives to come work out here in the outpost?" Cor asked.

"It is not something that people will want to do, no. But it must be done. You need at least 10 men handling shipments and pulling scrap from the old imperial bases and abandoned outposts. You need 20 on patrol around the town, and 20 guarding it at all times. You need at least 10 builders. You need 10 auxiliary staff for supplies and medicine. You need 10 on the power lines. I need 80 men to make this work. If we attempt to do all this with the 40 we have we will run out of time, men or both," Ignis said.

"Okay, but how do we get people to volunteer?" Cor asked.

"We're indolent creatures by nature, but everybody knows we have a role to play. I believe we can still convince people to come if we offer payment and security. Once the settlement is properly outfitted a smaller force could hold it, but this would require a few months of work," Ignis explained, although he knew it would be tougher than that. Still he didn't wish to dash Cor's hopes entirely.

"So... I guess we'll be making an appeal to the Council then," Cor said. "Alright. I'll head out in the morning and see if we can get some volunteers. What should we be doing in the meantime?"

"I think you were spot on with saying we need to fortify our current position before we think about expansion. I would say have Gladiolus continue running his patrols, though I certainly wouldn't mind a visit from my old friend if he can manage," Ignis replied.

"I'll be sure he gets the message," Cor said, and Ignis could hear the smile in his words. "Well... I guess we'd better hope there are still some brave people in the world."

"We'd better hope that we are among them," Ignis replied.


	5. Chapter 5

**Autumn Twilight – Part 05**

Over the next couple of days, Ignis was made familiar with Old Lestallum. The town was considerably different from the drivethrough they'd had all those years ago. There were four key buildings now – the garage, the old Crow's Nest Diner, a small warehouse and the most recent addition was a makeshift barracks build underneath an old water tower which itself had been converted into a guard tower. The walls completely encircled the encampment, offering only one opening – the bridge. The road that went west to the Ravatogh area offered less and less reason to head in that direction each day. For those few times when it was required a ramshackle second bridge had been constructed to ford the river further up the road from them. This essentially made exiting vehicles heading west forced to make a complicated U-Turn but it was preferably to being forced to defend two gates.

The conditions were snug to be sure, but Ignis preferred it that way. Less walking was good for him these days, and it made the job of defending it easier. But he would be required to expand his protection to the length of the river and that was a whole other story. The second day of his visit was when Gladiolus finally returned, a bit later than he was expected. The joyous reunion would have to wait however as he was dragging along two wounded companions in their jeep.

"Gladio, what the hell happened?" Prompto asked, running up to give him a hand.

"An undead behemoth from the Alstor Slough. Charged at us. Nailed Orus before he could even raise his weapon," Gladiolus handed the wounded young man to Prompto. He then lifted up the woman properly. "Tress here was able to get a few shots off. I managed to chase the thing back to where it came from but we had to get the hell out of there."

"An undead behemoth?" Prompto asked.

Gladiolus gave Prompto a knowing glance. "Popped right out of the lake."

Ignis was reminded of a freezing wintry evening long ago. "It's a shame Noctis wasn't there to help you."

Gladiolus turned to Ignis and pulled him into a bear hug. "Iggy! It's great to see you."

"Would that I could say the same," Ignis said with the faintest hint of a smile.

"Blind pun," Gladiolus chuckled. "You still haven't changed."

"Rather impressive considering the state of things," Ignis nodded. "Your comrades. Will they be..."

"Oh yeah, they'll be okay once they've had a rest," Gladiolus replied with only the slightest uncertainty in his voice. "Attacks like these are basically par for the course on recon duty. If you're not coming back with at least one casualty you're not doing the job right."

"That's part of the reason it's so hard to get volunteers," Talcott added. "There's really no way to do it safely. Even if you gave them all semis with full light rigs, the daemons can wait them out."

There was another concern for Ignis to process, but he didn't have the time for it at the moment.

"So where's Cor?" Gladiolus asked.

Ignis took a few moments to explain his presence and Cor's absence. Gladiolus's reaction to the whole idea seemed far more blunt than the cautiously hopeful tone Prompto had given him.

"You're nuts, Iggy," Gladiolus said firmly. "We don't have the manpower and people sure aren't gonna line up for this. And as far as the resources, well even if we scrapped every Imperial Base in the continent I doubt we'd have enough to properly secure the water line from coast to city."

"Glad to hear my own thoughts repeated back in a deeper timbre," Ignis sighed. "It's hopeless, but we've done more with less. Perhaps you could assist me, I was about to take inventory of our on-hand supplies and... well that's not something I can realistically do."

"I got ya," Gladiolus replied. "Prompto, you come too. Talcott, keep an eye of my guys okay?"

"You got it, Gladio," Talcott replied, heading off to the makeshift infirmary tent by the garage.

The three comrades spent the following two days doing a "proper" inventory. The outskirt had kept records of their intake and outgoing supplies, but they were very general and not at all to Ignis's liking. For his plan to even have a remote chance of success he would have to know exactly what they had, and after several long afternoons he had a reasonable picture of their assets.

This minor victory was capped by the return of Cor. He pulled in the second evening – Ignis's fifth day at the compound – with a semi-truck full of new recruits. Though "full" wasn't exactly the proper word for it.

"Well we have a good news and bad news situation," Cor said to Ignis as he came by to inspect the new blood.

"Good news first please. I find bad news tends to inspire creativity," Ignis said.

"Fair enough. The good news is we got the Council to agree to double wages for any citizens who volunteer for outpost duty on this project of yours. We're all getting pay raises, not just the greens," Cor explained. "They have also devoted some of their time during their daily announcements to press the importance of the project in hope of training a second wave for work sometime over the next few weeks."

"That's more than we could have hoped for," Ignis said. "Now spoil my hopeful mood. What's the bad news?"

"Well you said we needed forty men," Cor replied. "I only got ten."

"That's not terrible, actually," Ignis sighed. "Not great, but at least it's a start. And we may have more later."

Ignis made his way around to the back of the truck to offer greetings to the new team. But as he did so, the bridge shook violently, knocking him off his feet. He landed with a thud on the ground and his cane slid far away from him.

"Damn it, that thing is back!" Gladiolus shouted.

Gunfire exploded over Ignis's head. Prompto reached down to lift Ignis up as Cor shouted orders to his men.

"Get off the bridge!" Cor yelled. "Pull back!"

"Iggy! We have to go!" Prompto called, pulling his friend out of harm's way.

"The behemoth?" Ignis asked.

"Not just him," Prompto replied.

"Get out of the towers you idiots, we have to raise the bridge!" Gladiolus shouted, running away from Ignis. Based on the volume of his voice he must be moving to drag soldiers out of the gate.

Cor rushed his new troops inside as the Semi pulled around to create a wall on the other side of the bridge. Ignis couldn't hear Gladiolus's voice for several minutes as he stumbled along with Prompto. He lay back against something hard, on firm ground.

"I got your cane too," Prompto said, handing it to Ignis. "Stay here I'm gonna go get Gladio."

Before Ignis had time to protest Prompt was running down the bridge, firing on the unseen menace. There was nothing but chaos all around him, and for the first time in a very long time he felt completely powerless for his blindess. He was useless to help his allies. He clutched his cane for support, as if willing it to be his former lance. Hoping that it might somehow bring back his sight just long enough to save his friends.

"Gladio!" Cor shouted.

"Karl's dead!" Gladio shouted. "Andrei too. We have to close the bridge now!"

"They're coming!" Prompto screamed.

There was a massive sound of crushed metal. The Semi had been flattened, clearly. Gears began turning and the bridge was rising, cutting off the access between the far side of the river and the outpost. A power generator kicked on and all reserve energy this outpost had (which was not that much) was powering two massive floodlights on their side.

"When did the daemons get so bold? Why didn't the lights scare them off?" Prompto asked.

"Too many people. Too much food," Gladiolus panted.

"They're starving and we drove a buffet through their territory," Cor spat.

 _It's my fault,_ Ignis realized, a rock settling in his gut.

There was a pop, and the lights above them cut out.

"Now what?!" Prompto cried.

"Backup generator is kicked!" Talcott's voice came. "We can't waste anymore power or we'll lose cover on the camp."

"They're not gone," Gladiolus hissed.

"They can't cross the river into our camp. Our walls have held them out before. We can hold our position for the time being," Cor said.

 _This is all my fault_ , Ignis thought again.

"Well what now?" Gladiolus asked. "Iggy, we could really use some ideas right about now."

"We... we can't build anything now," Ignis replied, realizing at once how stupid his comment was. "We're in survival mode. We just... guns on the perimeter. Treat the wounded..."

Ignis was unraveling quickly. His fingers tightened against his cane. His knuckles were white, his blood ran cold.

"Relax, Ignis. Let's pull back into the infirmary and get everyone situated. Just take some deep breaths and try to calm down," said a voice Ignis couldn't even identify.

 _This is all my fault._


	6. Chapter 6

**Autumn Twilight – Part 06**

Ignis wasn't able to leave his room, let alone cook dinner. He spent the rest of the night in the small walk-in closet that had been fashioned into a room for him. It was slightly smaller than his old caravan, but it served its purpose well. As a guest of honor, and a disabled one at that, he earned one of the few areas of genuine privacy in the outpost. Though he did not feel he deserved anything at the moment.

In total there were four reported deaths and three injuries as a result of his plan. The daemon presence had not diminished, their power supply was running out and they couldn't launch their usual light deterrents. They couldn't escape as the only thing on this side of the river was dark lands. Even if they were willing to take the risk to try and ford the river at a different crossing, it would mean trekking through miles of incredibly dangerous terrain with nothing more than flashlights. They had two vehicles that had survived the attack, but their remaining fuel was being used to power the generators. When that ran out, they would have serious problems.

Cor entered his room, with Gladiolus and Prompto. They were doing their best to try and keep him focused, if not necessarily in high spirits. However, Ignis had no energy left for brainpower.

"Iggy, I know you feel guilty," Gladiolus said. "But we're gonna need your strategy to get us through this mess."

"My _strategy_ is precisely what landed us in this mess," Ignis replied curtly.

"None of us could have predicted such a violent response," Prompto offered reasonably.

"None of _you_ could have. But I should have known better. We've witnessed how these daemons react to human life. I should have realized that such a collection of troops would be a beacon for them," Ignis sighed.

This was more than a little insensitive – after all Gladiolus and Prompto had faced just as many daemons as Ignis – but they let it slide.

"We still have 46 people in this camp who are going to need to survive," Gladiolus said.

"We have enough fuel to last a week. The power lines to Lestallum were severed and to service them we'd have to leave the outpost. Our hydro-electric generator was damaged in the attack but we should be able to get that up and running before the week is out. That will solve our light problem for the most part," Cor said. "The only problem is that will put us down to emergency lighting only and the daemons are getting more bold by the day."

"We'll be a buffet for those things," Prompto said. "We could pool our lights around one building but there's no way we'd all fit."

"We'd be trapped like rats," Gladiolus added.

"We're already trapped," Cor pointed out.

"The only sensible thing to do at this point would be to attempt a full-scale evacuation," Ignis said.

The others stopped talking and looked to him. There was a brief moment of silence.

"We still have a job to do," Cor said, the slightest hint of severity in his tone.

"That job was improbable at best before and has now thoroughly slipped into the realm of impossible. We cannot revitalize this outpost and hope to protect the water line at the same time. It can't be done," Ignis insisted.

"We have more guys coming out to reach us. If we can hold out til then we'll have the added manpower. If we surrender this outpost, Lestallum dies. Maybe not right away. Maybe it lasts another year or two. But without the river being protected by the light it will be taken down," Cor said. He took hold of Ignis's collar and shook him. "We give up now, and those men died in vain!"

Gladiolus grabbed Cor's shoulder and yanked him back. "Take it easy, Cor!"

Ignis was unable to respond. They could hold out for at least three weeks and maybe get help. Somehow. If they could survive that long. The repairs they would have to do to remain functioning in that time would ebb away at their resources. They needed weapons, steel, lumber and electrical components. They needed food and water. Their problems had not changed, they had only been exacerbated.

"We all need to get some sleep. Things will seem better in the morning," Prompto suggested.

"Four dead men won't get better in the morning," Cor said sharply. He winced a bit at his own words and then softened up slightly. "But, I suppose what you say makes sense."

He stormed out of Ignis's room and returned to his duties.

"We'll let you get some sleep, Ignis," Gladiolus said. "Don't blame yourself, okay? We need you more than ever right now."

He pulled Ignis into a hug, a rare sentimental gesture from the man, and then left. Prompto wasn't sure what he could say related to the events of the day, and so simply left Ignis with a friendly pat on the shoulder.

Sleep was out of the question mentally, but fortunately his body was exhausted enough to pick up the slack for him. He lay in his bed and despite the chaos of the afternoon still ringing in his ears, he fell asleep.

His dreams that night were plagued by winter's snow. The frozen gusts of wind that kept his body stiff, and his lanky frame nearly frostbitten. The four of them trudged through the snowy wastes of the winter-time Alstor Slough.

It had been a desperate situation they'd been in. Almost as desperate as the one Ignis was now faced with. There was certain death of every kind. They were being stalked by a behemoth, no less than the same one that had been resurrected recently. They were facing extreme cold. Prompto had been knocked unconscious from a near fatal dip in the frozen lakes. Noctis was not faring much better.

It was as harsh a condition as anybody could hope to face in the sunlight, and they had survived it. Cornered by the massive beast mere kilometers from their goal, they were out of options. They could not hope to defend themselves. Retreat was no option. Surrender was no option. And the way Noctis had survived, and saved all of them, was by going on the offensive.

In the end, the beast that had forced them into a corner – battered, weakened and hopeless as they were – was slain by Noctis. When there is no other option left before you, fighting back is all you have left.

 _That's it!_


	7. Chapter 7

**Autumn Twilight – Part 07**

"I've come up with a new strategy," Ignis said the following morning to his comrades.

"Oh?" Cor asked, with a hint of harshness. The sight around them was as bleak as it had ever been, flickering lamp light and hastily assembled ramshackle barricades serving as the only protection for a battered defense force.

"This might seem almost callous after yesterday's disaster, but please hear me out," Ignis said. He took a deep breath and clasped his hands together in a sort of mockery of a prayer. "We've been playing things too safe."

Cor and Gladiolus both looked quite ready to speak, but held their silence out of courtesy. Prompto missed the memo. "Too safe?"

"We are playing a defensive game, trying to hold out as long as we can in one spot. We move between outposts and all, but that's it. We have been presenting a target which never moves and is completely predictable," Ignis said. "We lost Meldacio, Galdin Quay, do you think it's any shock that we are about to lose one of the less protected outposts?"

"Get to the point," Cor said sharply. "A lot of men have given their lives defending this place and if you are suggesting we retreat-"

"I am not suggesting that at all," Ignis said. "This outpost is vital, that much is given. But we need to draw the daemons away and gather supplies and we can't do that if they are able to track us to one location. We need to set up a diversion of sorts. In short, we need to be more aggressive."

"And to that end you have us doing what exactly?" Gladiolus asked.

"The imperial base near here, has it been completely stripped of components?" Ignis asked. "I wouldn't need much, a single generator."

"Most of it has been salvaged, but some of the magitek stuff was in bad shape," Prompto said. "I mean, if I was pressed and given some time I could probably fix one enough to give you a day or so of power. You looking to make a sort of lighthouse?"

"More like a snare, something to draw the daemons away from Old Lestallum. But that's not all. We'll have to have many moving pieces at once if this is going to work. We need a team to salvage the remaining scrap from there after the decoy is up. We need a team to begin laying the protective beacons in the river. And we need a team running excavation operations from Taelpar Crag for the extra minerals and meteorshards," Ignis said.

"You're talking about deploying almost our entire force from here," Gladious said.

"It's true, the outpost will only have a skeleton crew left. But there will be less demand on the power and food stores, which should allow them to last long enough while we are away. Anybody leaving the outpost will have to hunt or scavenge food and supplies along the way," Ignis said.

"This sounds like a suicide mission," Talcott sighed, folding his arms.

"Remaining in one place to be eaten is the suicidal option. We need constant movement, and small teams to help remain stealthy. No more than 5 to a team," Ignis said. "Prompto I'll need you to come with me to the base."

"Naturally," Prompto nodded.

"Cor, I would like you to remain here and manage the outpost defenses. Your military prowess is key to surviving with the limited resources."

Cor nodded solemnly.

"Gladiolus-"

"I got this," Gladiolus nodded. "You want me leading the team to Taelpar Crag since I been there before, right?"

Ignis nodded, and Gladiolus favored him with a thumbs up.

"Talcott, would you mind accompanying the beacon team? You have considerable skill with machines yourself," Ignis asked.

"Nothing like Prompto but I can make it work," Talcott replied.

"Okay, this all seems well and good," Cor said. "But what is your end game here? The decoy can only buy us a day, what are we going to do with that?"

"Our primary focus is moving the horde away from Old Lestallum and getting the beacons in the river to protect the waterway. When the decoy fails the daemons will likely head back to Old Lestallum, but with a decent haul of meteorshards and the beacons in the river, we can set up a light barricade to give us a bit of breathing room while we rebuild. Beyond that, we just have to accomplish what we can in the next 24 hours and see how events turn," Ignis said. Ignis sensed the piercing look Cor gave him to which Ignis added. "Our concern is protecting the waterway. I am no longer convinced that protecting Old Lestallum is the only way to do that."

"So we might give up the outpost in the end?" Cor asked.

"It is possible, but only for the short term. Once we can secure the waterway, we can begin setting up outposts again and restoring power to the land. Perhaps we can enlist some of the old Kingsglaive to assist us in that effort," Ignis offered.

"I got to be honest, I'm not really thrilled with this plan, but it's better than sitting around," Gladiolus said.

"It's an enormous risk, but then no part of this endeavor isn't," Ignis explained. "How soon can we have the teams assembled?"

"I can have them up and running in about four hours," Cor said. "It'll be hard to find volunteers for anything at this point – to go or to stay."

"Any assignment requires great bravery, there are no cowards amongst your men," Ignis said.

Cor nodded slightly and made his way out to address his men. Ignis sat somewhat slumped in his chair – the effort of revealing this unsatisfying plan wearing him thin. It had sounded fine in his head – but out in the open it seemed risky and foolish.

But there was no other option at this point. They had to make this plan work.


	8. Chapter 8

**Autumn Twilight – Part 08**

"How goes it?" Ignis asked, leaning against the rusted shell of an old Magitek Generator.

He could hear Prompto's busy gadgetry, but he was no machine expert himself and understanding the flow of time for such a project was difficult when one could not see what was happening.

"Well do you want it in techno-babble or regular talk?" Prompto asked. He chuckled and put a hand on Ignis's shoulder. "It's going to be about three more hours."

"I wonder how the others are doing," came the voice of one of the younger guards that had accompanied them.

Getting out of Old Lestallum via a hastily created escape hatch was a neat trick, considering Ignis had to be basically dragged through and the hole they'd created had to be immediately resealed. The five of them: Prompto, Ignis and three other members of the team had then had to run mostly blind (or Ignis's case completely so) through a darkened patch of plains attempting to avoid notice by the daemons. And if that wasn't enough the recent daemonic spurt of activity had reactivated some of the dormant Magitek Troopers, only about three, but the firefight that ensued was loud and costly – there were now two guards and one severely wounded tag-along with them.

The team that accompanied them were all part of the new recruits from Lestallum – mainly because none of the old guard completely trusted Ignis's plan and despite reassurances from some friendly faces – mainly Gladiolus – they didn't want to join what appeared to be the riskiest venture. Talcott's team had the last remaining light beacons and more that they would activate later. The outpost had strong defenses and Taelpar Crag had... well, Gladiolus. They had a blind man who had proven himself unreliable so far.

There was Ragas, the older fellow who had almost single-handedly won the encounter for them with quick use of his home-made shotgun. There was the young Caleb, who had a shortsword and a handgun. And there was Terin who had entered the encounter with a pilfered MT axe-rifle and left it with a broken arm and bloodied torso.

"Terin should be okay," Ragas said, with a voice like coarse stone. "Bleeding's stopped. He'll live."

"But what about the other teams?" Caleb asked.

"Boy you'd best stop thinking about them. Your thoughts ain't gonna help them right now. Right now we got a job to do so we'd best do it," Ragas explained.

"Leave the generator to me. I'll give you all a heads up before I flare it up, of course, we're going to have to run like hell to get out before all the daemons start heading our way," Prompto explained.

"I been tearing away at some of the scrap iron. Found an old trolley that looks in good enough condition. No car survived the stripping of this place, but with wheels I can probably haul about a thousand pounds worth of the stuff. Well... maybe 500 if we gotta make a bit of a clip," Ragas said.

"We're uphill from Old Lestallum. Gravity can do most of our work for us. But don't load more than feel comfortable with. Steel and iron are important but the main resource we need are those meteorshards from Taelpar Crag," Ignis offered.

"You got it, boss. And you boy, see if you can find any of them nasty canned rations they feed the grunts here. Maybe we got lucky and somebody didn't check a pantry," Ragas ordered.

"Yes sir," Caleb replied nervously. "And Terin?"

"He's asleep now inside the main bunker. It's well lit. He'll be okay," Ragas explained.

Now that was a true balancing act. To operate in secret they had to not have any light apart from small flashlight beams. Too much more than that and daemons would come for them. But their camp site needed to be very well lit to keep the daemons away from their persons. That's the way it was. Too little light and you were vulnerable. Too much and you were visible. The balancing act came from Ragas noticing a windowless bunker just inside the main gate where they were able to set up camp. It was tight as the bunker was clearly meant to just be an office of some kind but the five of them could dorm in it. They'd set up their light kits inside. No daemons would see it from the outside, and they would be safe inside.

 _Or trapped if any of them found us_ , Ignis thought grimly, but they'd had suspicious luck since the encounter with the MTs. After that, there hadn't been a single demon sighting. Then again the biggest target around was Old Lestallum and was currently doing a wonderful job amassing daemon activity. And that was partly what Ignis was counting on when he'd come up with this insane idea to begin with. They'd focus on the wrong target just long enough to allow them to counter-attack.

A few more hours passed in relative silence, when finally Prompto let out a muffled congratulatory cheer of sorts.

"Are we in business?" Ignis asked.

"So to speak, Specs. Not only is this up and running but I was able to reroute some of the main power from what's left of the base's primary... you know what let's just leave it at I worked tech-magic on this baby and she'll give us 48 hours of power – maybe more depending upon how long some other tech-magic holds out," Prompto explained.

"Thank you for condescending to my level," Ignis smiled as Prompto helped him up.

"You boys about ready?" Ragas panted as he moved slowly towards them. "I got about... six hundred or so pounds of useable scrap."

"In three hours? That's impressive work," Ignis said.

"Well hold your applause Iggy, cause that's about all that's left in the place unless we wanna start tearing down walls. Most of the crap is either too rusted to be of any use or too brittle to be melded into anything," Ragas said.

"It'll do. Could you and Caleb go get Terin and prepare him for extraction? The decoy is ready," Ignis explained.

"Caleb didn't check in with either of you?" Ragas asked. "I told the boy to keep in contact-"

A shot rang out from the far end of the base. Pistol-fire. Three quick bursts followed shortly by a loud scream. Ragas and Prompto rushed in the direction of the screaming. Ignis kept his footing. He couldn't just leave them be. He began hobbling towards the sound himself.

 _Your legs work fine_ , Ignis told himself. _It's just your eyes that aren't working_.

He remembered when he could see. When he could _fight_. His eyes helped him make sure that he was hitting the right target, sure. But when it came to fighting it was less about eyesight and more about instinct. He could do this. The place was mostly barren. A bit of scraps here and there. He'd fought on worse terrain than this.

 _I'm going to help them fight_ , Ignis insisted to himself.

But his feet remained still. He wanted to run. He wanted to help. But he knew if he moved, he would fall.

 _But I have to be willing to fall._

Ignis opened his useless eyes wide. There was darkness- same as always. Nothing was going to change that. But he could change.

He called his spear to him and charged. His weapon drawn, his feet moving faster than they had in years. The pace was demanding at first, he stumbled a bit. His chins brushed against a few pieces of scrap metal. But he corrected himself with each stride. He could sense the daemon in front of him, a clear enemy presence – its howling moan and its lurch.

"Iggy!" Prompto shouted. "Look out!"

The daemon swung, but Ignis's skill was returning to him with each passing second and he deftly dodged to the side of the lurching shapeless monstrosity. Ignis's spear met flesh and the daemon was silenced. A few gunshots from Prompto later felled a second daemon that Ignis hadn't even noticed a short ways behind him.

"Specs. That was incredible," Prompto sighed.

"I thought he was blind," Ragas grunted.

"I am," Ignis panted. "But that doesn't mean that I have to sit around while others do all the work. Is Caleb alright?"

Ragas let out a small sound of discomfort.

"Well, you did kill a daemon," Prompto said in a conciliatory manner. "But... it used to be Caleb."

And once again, Ignis's legs were useless.


	9. Chapter 9

**Autumn Twilight – Part 09**

The trolley rolled slowly down the hill, with Ragas bracing it from the front and Prompto guiding it in the back. Ragas was really doing double duty as he was also charged with carrying Terin on his back, a task that would have fallen to Caleb. Ignis was able to walk, one hand holding the side of the trolley for guidance, but that was it.

 _Another person dead, and another injured_.

"Iggy, what happened to Caleb wasn't your fault. We all knew the risks of this mission," Prompto said.

"Yeah, besides if anybody it's my fault. I told him to head off alone like that," Ragas explained. He let out a pitiful sigh. "He was just a kid. I shoulda gone with him."

"I suppose," Ignis said, trying to master himself. He could wallow in self-pity later. They were one a very sensitive time table. "We are far enough away now to light the decoy."

"I put it on a timer," Prompto said. "It should go off in the next minute or so."

Sure enough within a handful of seconds the bright flash of the decoy burned high upon the hill as every spotlight in the Imperial Base powered on once again. A few had their bulbs destroyed – leaving only ominious sparking and popping, and others were uselessly covered by protective cloths, but there were still enough beams to signal anything within several dozen kilometers. The flash was so bright even Ignis could still make out the general direction of it, his dark grey blur becoming a dim white blur.

At once behind them was the sound of another trolley, careening wildly out of control down the hill leading into Old Lestallum. It rushed past them only stopping when it reached the very bottom of the hill, slamming against the metal walls of the outpost.

"That was filled with meteorshards," Prompto said.

"Hey!" Gladiolus shouted from behind them. "We gotta move, now!"

Ignis could only sense the mass migration behind him, but he caught the gist of it. The Taelpar Crag excavation team had returned quite a bit ahead of schedule, and behind them was an army of daemons. Several had begun moving towards the decoy, but there were still a few ugly characters chasing them down.

Ignis felt himself being lifted up by Gladiolus and a few seconds later their trolley of scrap rolled down the hill as well. There was a stampede of survivors charging down the path with Ignis being dragged along like a piece of scrap.

There was a loud clang – their trolley hitting the wall – and the sound of the west-facing spotlight starting up. A small electric popping followed by an even brighter white burning in Ignis's eyes.

"Get in!" shouted Cor's voice through one of their emergency hatches.

Gladiolus shoved Ignis through, handing him roughly to Cor who pulled him out. Gladiolus himself stayed behind until everybody else who was still with them made it through. Ragas handed Terin to Cor before helping Gladiolus push in the two trolley worth of material. Gladiolus was the last in, slamming the hatch shut and securing it with the scrap iron trolley.

"What happened?" Ignis demanded. He stood up and almost tripped, but Prompto was there to support him.

"Ran into daemons in the Taelpar Crag, had to make a quick exit. We got around 3,000 useable shards which isn't bad for a day's haul," Gladiolus said. He took a look around the group. "Casualties?"

"We lost Caleb. Daemon in a pantry got him," Ragas replied. "It was my fault I should of stuck with him."

"Also Terin took a few hits from an MT but he'll live," Prompto added.

Ignis waited for Cor's lamentation, but there was nothing but resolve in his voice. "Well, you completed your task. We know Caleb didn't die in vain at least. But we have to make sure everything else goes to plan otherwise this entire expedition will have been for naught."

"How has Talcott been with the beacons?" Gladiolus asked.

"They got back about an hour ago. All of them are set. They spaced them out, two dead beacons to one working beacon. As soon as we get some of the juice up and running to the power line they'll all light up. They secured the river as far south as we could, and a few protective beacons up north to play it safe," Cor explained.

"So what's next on the agenda?" Prompto asked. "I wasn't really clear on your intentions for this phase of the plan."

"It may have been possible to secure Old Lestallum with a bit more scrap iron and a few more meteorshards. But that's not an option and I can't realistically expect you to do another expedition like this under the circumstances. We're abandoning Old Lestallum, but we're not going to leave it to the mercy of the daemons. Prompto's decoy will keep most of the daemons in the area occupied for now while he puts our remaining power stores into the beacon generator."

"So after all that, we can't hope to defend the outpost?" Cor asked.

"We have to abandon it for a time. We secure the river and then head back to Lestallum proper. We use that time to start regrouping and reforming the Kingsglaive," Ignis said.

"The king is missing. His power is sealed away," Cor explained.

"A piece of the king's power is sealed away in each of the Royal Tombs. All we need is a Sigil, and that should suffice to return the power of the kings to this world," Ignis said.

"And how do you know that will work?" Cor asked.

"Did I ever tell you how I went blind?" Ignis asked.

"You said you got injured in the attack by Leviathan," Cor replied.

"That is technically true. But that's not the whole story. I haven't told any of you this because I find it difficult to believe myself," Ignis sighed. "During the attack, Ardyn attempted to kill Noctis. I was overpowered and alone. But Noctis had with him the Ring of the Lucii. With no other option, I bore the burden of wearing that terrible ring. The Old Kings granted me strength beyond strength. I fought with a vigor only known to the royal line. But the Old Kings never give power freely. They demanded a sacrifice."

Ignis removed his sunglasses, revealing the terrible raw scar that covered both of his eyes, the burning that he still felt even to this day mirrored in the hideous deformity.

"They made you blind to save Noctis?" Prompto asked horrified.

"The Old Kings must view it as a way to keep balance among the mortals," Gladiolus cursed. "If you're not a king and you wield a king's power, you will suffer for it. Ravus lost his arm. Ignis was blinded. I even heard about a Kingsglaive member who wore it to protect Lunafreya on her way out of Insomnia who died from using its power."

"I no longer have the Ring," Ignis said. "I'm certain wherever Noctis is, he still has it with him. But I learned much in my time with the Old Kings. And I know how to restore the power of the Kingsglaive. So I say again. We light up the beacons, and return to Lestallum. And then I would ask another favor."

"Let me guess," Prompto said. "You want me and Gladiolus to drag you to some dusty old Royal Tomb right?"

"And Cor too, if you are willing," Ignis said, turning in the general direction of Cor.

"If there's even a chance at bringing back the might of the Kingsglaive, it would give us a fighting chance against these daemons," Cor nodded. "Okay. I'm with you Ignis."

"Alright then. Prompto, get the generator up and running. Cor, Gladiolus, Ragas, get everybody prepared to evacuate. If we can get one vehicle working that should suffice. We take only what we can carry," Ignis said.

"We have one truck left in working condition. Most of us should fit in in that along with some basic supplies and weapons. A few of us will just have to cling to the roof and pray," Cor said.

"Well, let's hope the prayers are heard then, because I really don't want to walk," Prompto grunted, as he pushed the trolley of meteorshards over to the generator on the far side of the compound.


	10. Chapter 10

**Autumn Twilight – Part 10**

Ignis breathed heavily as he helped Cor push aside the great stone door into the ancient Tomb. There was a poetic irony in the only Royal Tomb that was still deemed relatively safe was the very first one they'd visited all those years ago when their journey began. The Tomb of The Wise held a strange significance beyond its historical value – it was here where they first met Cor, and here where Noctis truly began to understand the truth of his father's will, and accept his death.

"So, Ignis, what do you plan on doing?" Gladiolus asked. "You just want to pray to the Old King and hope he fixes everything or what?"

"Perhaps offer a sacrifice of sorts to give things a bump in the right direction," Ignis explained. "They blinded me and in doing so gave me power to contend with Ardyn. Who knows what else they might do with the proper leverage."

"Iggy," Prompto said softly, a sudden moment of clarity crossing his mind. "Please tell me you are not thinking of doing what I think you are."

"We've established the terms of the Old Kings," Ignis said. "At this point I can be of little more use to you."

"Ignis," Cor said firmly. "You can't be serious. I understand how you must be feeling now. But answering the death of those under your command with your own is not a way to solve anything."

"Normally I would agree, but in this case-" Ignis turned in the direction of the tomb, reaching his hand out and grasping at the ancient stone sarcophagus. "The stakes are a bit different."

A faint light pierced the fog of Ignis's darkened eyes. He could clearly see all for a moment, his comrades auras shining in place of their physical form. There was a strange sensation of being ripped from his body and in the haze of what followed Ignis could barely discern the whispers of his comrades. They still had a presence in the other world, but where Ignis was now was somehow detached from them.

His mind went back to that day he'd protected Noctis. The rain washing over him, the last sight he ever saw clearly was Noctis's battered form beneath the heel of the traitor Ardyn. The feel of the cold stone against his cheek and the wet hair clinging to his skin, it was all so vivid. It was as if he was reliving that moment, and in a sense he was.

A new figure took shape before him. Ignis could see clearly the visage of an Old King. The presence was familiar, a member of the line of Lucis who Ignis knew in more than the tattered pages of history.

"King Regis?" Ignis asked.

"Your struggle is not is vain, Ignis Scientia," came the thunderous voice of the former king. "You seek my son, but know that he is on a journey of his own design."

"Where is he?" Ignis pleaded. "Please take me to him. Let me help him!"

"His is a journey that must be completed on its own time. The world may dwindle but he shall return in due course," Regis explained. "He will return in his own time, at Angelsgard."

Ignis's head sunk, a new wave of powerlessness overtaking him. "But there are people we must protect here and now. Your Grace, you must give us some way to protect what we have! What good is a king without his kingdom?"

"I know what you propose, Ignis. But I would not have the means to grant it to you. My son must complete his task in its own time," Regis replied.

"If you would not give me power to help the others, nor return your son to us then at least restore the power of the Kingsglaive. Give us the chance to fight," Ignis said. "You know what I offer in return."

"My son will need you. All of you," Regis replied. "Your life is not yours to offer."

"It is the moment he completes his duty," Ignis said. "When Noctis takes his place as King, not merely a prince, then he will no longer be my charge. At that moment I would offer my life. And I know the others would as well, though I wouldn't dare speak for them."

Regis seemed to consider this.

"You will see the bitter task through to the end, knowing that it will mean your life?" Regis asked.

"Every one of us has known that our lives are forfeit," Ignis replied. "This is a merely a formality as far as I am concerned."

Regis nodded.

"Very well. The king yet lives. My son still has the power and it will flow through him to the Kingsglaive. They will begin to reform soon, Ignis. Take heart and take care, Ignis. For your resolve will be rewarded," Regis explained.

Ignis returned from his trance, Gladiolus's firm hand shaking him awake.

"Iggy! You conked your head pretty hard on that stone. Are you alright?" He asked.

"Dear gods, I think I've gone blind," Ignis retorted sarcastically.

"Well your terrible sense of humor is fine," Prompto sighed.

"I gather you've made some sort of deal with the Old Kings. But you're still alive," Cor commented.

"For the time being," Ignis explained. "The power of the Kingsglaive will be re-awoken. You should prepare to receive them. With the power of the Kings, we may yet have a fighting chance."

"And what did you promise in return?" Prompto asked.

"Nothing that was not already mine to give," Ignis explained. "Noctis is alive. We must prepare to receive him. And that will mean that we must all continue on, even as the darkness sets in upon us."

"Where is he? Did they say?" Gladiolus asked.

Ignis shook his head. "We are not meant to know. I know that he will return to us someday, and that his return shall be at Angelsgard. Other than that, we must fend for ourselves."

"So after all that we're right back to where we started?" Prompto asked.

"Not quite. With the power of the Kingsglaive we might have a fighting chance to win back some of our territory. And with a new source of meteorshards, perhaps even recapturing some of the old settlements," Cor said. "I just hope it'll be enough."

Ignis placed his hand on Prompto's shoulder.

"I've been blind for several years now friends," Ignis said. "And for the first time I see a light at the end of the tunnel."

"Now I know you hit your head," Prompto sighed.

"Hope, Prompto," Ignis explained. "It may seem trite, but sometimes hope is all we have left to cling to. And I for one am willing to die to see that its light is never extinguished."

 _Author's Note:_

 _ **So yeah, that's that.**_

 _I have to apologize at the rough track this story in particular took. The four story arc as a whole seemed to get steadily more slapdash but this one in particular was rough. I'm not certain if I've said it before, but back in November of last year my life kind of fell apart. I've been piecing things back together and working on other projects and looking back at this project in particular was just kind of rough. I wanted to give it a proper ending to close the book on it and move on to other things. Yeah this ending is more than a bit rough but it is, at least, an ending of sorts._

 _I feel I've been apologizing a lot lately, but things are starting to get better for me. I did just release the first book of my FF8 novelization. It's a wholesale release and I intend to start doing that from now on to avoid these long interruptions between chapters. Thank you for following along with me. You guys have been incredible and deserve better than this, but just as in my own life, I have to move on._


End file.
